Caixa Forum building in Zaragoza

Abstract

The CaixaForum building in Zaragoza, a project by Carme Pinós Studio, houses an auditorium, different exhibition halls, multipurpose spaces, and several lecture rooms. Its architecture, with a strong sculptural character, required a variety of unique structural solutions. The building is conformed as two cubes hung from a central communication core, both of them partially cantilevered. The main structural elements are the concrete walls supporting part of the cubic volumes, which are made up using large trusses and floor slabs of composite metal plates. The whole stability is achieved by the weight of the 40 cm solid slabs of the vertical communication core, which the two unobstructed spaces share.